Zambia: State to Probe Chipewo's Fleeing

THE Government has started investigations to establish the circumstances that led to former Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) managing director Henry Chipewo to flee following alleged harassment by Tanzanian security authorities.

Communications and Transport Minister Geoffrey Lungwangwa said Zambia would engage the Tanzanian government in an effort to establish what exactly transpired.

In an interview in Lusaka yesterday, Professor Lungwangwa said the two countries had over the years worked closely on matters of importance aimed at bettering the lives of the two peoples.

"We will engage our Tanzanian counterparts to establish what exactly transpired and what led to the former TAZARA MD to flee. We want to get to the bottom of this matter," he said.

He said TAZARA was an important institution which required the two countries to continue to work together and exchange views to improve the respective service delivery to the public.

The minister said Zambia would continue to strengthen its bilateral relations that existed between the two countries.

He hailed the Chinese government for coming to the aid of TAZARA by providing US$39 million which would revamp its operations.

Recently, Mr Chipewo revealed that he fled for his safety from Tanzania following harassment from police officers that were detailed to arrest him.

Mr Chipewo, whose contract was terminated by the board early this month, said he had to run away for his life from Dar-es-Salaam when it became apparent that his life was in danger.

Narrating the ordeal, which he described as having been like a "James Bond drama", Mr Chipewo said a team of Tanzanian police officers was detailed to arrest him for TAZARA's failure to honour a court order to pay a local businessperson $100,000 monthly debt.

The debt in question was a $1.9 million contracted from Euro Products by the previous management and the court had ordered it should be paid in $100,000 monthly installments.

TAZARA, however, failed to fully honour that due to its poor financial standing compounded by the effects of the global economic crisis last year.